This was a comprehensive hip hop, film and urban culture blog written entirely by an information junkie/graphomaniac Bostonian ex emcee/film student/record and video store manager/graf writer/streetballer called Dart Adams.

Monday, May 21, 2007

In Memory Of Hip Hop Video Shows AKA Dart Writes Out The Will

Face it, Direct Effect is garbage. It plays the same bullshit we’ve already seen over and over again. BET’s Rap City is asscheeks, when they cut back on the show’s running time I didn’t know whether to be mad or be appreciative that the bullshit would be given less time to poison the youth’s mind (that time should be properly given to 106 &Park!). I can’t watch 106 & Park without remembering back when Rocsi used to be a host back here in Boston for Al McFarlane’s Sweety’s Entertainment...where does the time go? There are a wide array of diverse hip hop acts that all have videos with no show to be aired on. In this new age of digital media and On Demand you can easily find these videos all over the internet, yet most eyes will never see them and therefore think no other music exists. Isn’t it ironic that people seem to have become stupider and less aware of what’s going on in the world and we’re in the Information Age? Albums drop and no one knows they were even released. Videos are out for songs that few people even know existed. Ask yourself a question? If we had a better variety of music, messages and images being played on these major video networks would Hip Hop still be such an easy target or will it come under fire as much? Bill Maher had Russell Simmons as a guest and he basically said to Russell that all Hip Hop/Rap was “braggadocio and ego”...that is bullshit. Don Imus said that rappers say “bitch” and “ho” all the time and get a free pass...like ALL rappers only talk about bitches and hoes and their material possessions! Hold on a minute....90% of the ones that are shown on Viacom video networks DO! See the problem! It’s obvious!

Take for instance this past weekend on MTV Jams they aired "Look Around" segments from Miami with Scott Storch on a 90 foot yacht and more footage was taken in his palatial estate. Then they showed DJ Khaled's toys, one of which was a car that cost more than I've earned in my entire 31 years of life. To make matters worse he told the viewers that his custom rims keep on getting damaged and he's paid over $50,000 to replace them. "It ain't no thang, that's how I do!" he said. With $50,000 I'D attempt to make a first feature film. THIS asshole spends that amount on rims and it doesn't raise any red flags with him at all...Do you wonder why I really don't care to listen to his music now? I'm not the only one, either. So where could a cat with my mindset and preferences go to see some videos by some artists I'd actually be interested in seeing?

All we have to do know is have some network stand up and commit themselves to playing (I can’t believe I’m writing this bullshit term out) “alternative” Hip Hop videos or a mix of different kinds of Hip Hop from different areas (I mean like Canada's MuchVibe ALREADY does). I’m not for censoring anyone. I AM against narrowcasting everyone. You can still play your regular diet of ass, grills and rims videos, but dammit can’t a brother see a Boot Camp Clik video every once in a while without having to Netflix one of their DVD’s or go to YouTube? Why doesn’t BET step it up? VH1 Soul is cool but they’ve proven to me that they cannot do the job alone. While they do play different shit...they play THE SAME DIFFERENT SHIT...over and over again. Don’t hold your breath on any Hip Hop programming appearing on TV One (the closest you’re getting is G. Garvin). BET Jazz has completely shifted it’s focus in recent years but it’s no go there as well. MTV2? Hell to the naw. Fuse? Remember their last attempt at a Hip Hop video show ? The only person that even knew when it aired was the host! The Tube Network? The only time I ever saw them play a video by a person containing a considerable amount of melanin in their skin it was a live video of Jimi Hendrix playing the National Anthem at Woodstock (that’s a no).

The one long shot I can think of is presenting a potential hour Hip Hop video show to the Talent and Development Staff over at G4TV. If it’s done right it would be a popular show and get them great ratings and a whole new viewership. If you don’t think so, just look around at some of the stuff us Hip Hop bloggers post about...now watch G4 for a while and tell me that an hour Hip Hop/video show wouldn’t work there. Either way, Here are some videos that I like that rarely see (expect for a few that have manage to crack the rotation of a Viacom network. I’ll be back later today to post about the Sox.

fuck, dart!! i come back and i get these videos!?! shit it's sucky when i get stuck on youtube peepin all the related videos.. it's worse when somone compiles all the hotness on one page, cuz i'll be even more stuck!!now i gotta just bookmark this post.

thankfully, i'm not a sports guy, so i can skip thru those, but shit like this makes me late and groggy for work in the a.m.

Vital Information About Dart

If you don't know who I am by now then Google my previous work from 2006 to the present day. I'm one of the people your favorite writers, journalists & bloggers ask for help or information. I'm also the dude wack writers & fake journalists fear more than Spell/GrammarCheck.